Just a short time after mass layoffs cut the WWE roster by a significant number of employees, another Superstar has left the company.

MVP (Montel Vontavious Porter) was announced by WWE.com today as having been released by the company. Around the same time that WWE posted the news, Porter explained via his Twitter account (@The205MVP) that the termination was at his request.

"No need for alarm. I did not get fired," Porter said. "I asked for & received my release. I felt it was time to go international & freshen things up.

Porter had been in WWE for a number of years, appearing consistently on WWE TV since 2006. Porter, real name Alvin Burke Jr., was recruited from the independent scene and assigned initially to Deep South Wrestling when it was a developmental territory for WWE.

In '06, MVP was called to the main roster and was heavily promoted via a series of backstage sketches as he negotiated a contract with Smackdown General Manager Teddy Long. Eventually, MVP "signed" with the Friday night brand and began competing. After having a short feud with Kane, Porter entered into a feud with the late Chris Benoit in which the two battled for the United States title. Porter would eventually wrest the title from Benoit and enjoy one of the longest runs in the belt's history.

Follow the conclusion of the Benoit angle, MVP moved to a feud with another recent departee, Matt Hardy. Though the two battled each other, they would also form a tag team and hold the WWE Tag Team championships. Porter eventually turned on Hardy and ultimately lost the U.S. belt to Matt, after holding the title for nearly a year.

Porter would then go on a lengthy losing streak in WWE competition before eventually re-gaining the U.S. title by defeating Shelton Benjamin. He took the belt with him to Raw in 2009 during that year's WWE Draft. Porter would feud there with the likes of Kofi Kingston and The Miz, while also occasionally teaming with Mark Henry.

Porter was brought back to Smackdown in 2010, but was unable to secure a major feud during this tenure.